Ditching machine



A118- 19,197- E. H. LICHTENBERG 2,425,746

DITCHING MACHINE l Filed July 25, 1945 l Z'Sheets-Sheet 1 y Aug. 19, 1947. E. H. LICHTENBERG DITCHING MACHINE .Filed July 25, 1945 Patented Aug. 19, 1947 UNITED STATES `air'lile'lyf'r vOFFICE I rich H. Lichtenberg, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to The Parsons Company,` Newton, Iowa, a

corporation Application July 25, 1945, Serial No. 4 cnims. (c1. 37-97) This invention pertains to the art of wheel type ditching machines, in which a digging wheel is mounted upon a portable machine base carrying the driving machinery for rotating the wheel as it is moved forward with the base, the latter being portable, suitable instrumentalities being employed for lowering the wheel into engagement with the earth `for its ditching operation in the formation of a trench or ditch, `and for raising the digging wheel to an elevation out of operative engagement with the earth.

The improvements of my invention involve particularly certain novel means for guiding the movement of the digging wheel frame and supported rotatable digging wheel as the latter is raised or lowered for arriving at the positions previously referred to in respect to its mounting upon the portable base by which it is supported.

More specifically speaking, my invention comprises a new form of frame structure for the portable base that supports the digging wheel and its frame, said frame structure comprising sides, guiding members in spaced relation, and the digging wheel frame being associated with connecting shoes adapted to travel along the guide members of the portable base frame, during the upward and downward movement of the digging wheel frame as previously referred to, whereby the digging wheel is carried into a position out of action, or lowered into a position in digging engagement with the earth.

For a full understanding of my invention reference may be had to the following detail description and to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a general side elevation View of a ditching machine of the wheel type embodying my invention, dotted lines indicating in part the upper position of the digging frame as when it is elevated to lift the digging wheel from earth engagement.

Figure 2 is a detail side elevation view, fragmentary in nature, showing more clearly the manner in which the guide shoe at one side of the portable base frame is operatively and guidingly associated with one of the side frame members of said base frame. y

Figure 3 is an end View, fragmentary in nature, taken about on the line 3--3 of Figure 2, the driving chain omitted.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating primarily the driving mechanism for driving the digging wheel for its rotative movement from the motor which is mounted upon the portable base of the machine, said View beingV somewhat diagrammatic in relation to the motor driving instrumentalities particularly.

Generally describing the operative arrangement and construction of the parts-of my digging wheel type ditching machine, I refer first to Figure l of the drawings, from which it will be observedv that the bodyoflmy machine comprises largely a base frame I supported by means of endless, crawlers 2. The, base frame I` supports' a suitable motor, generally shown at 3,` and power isA taken oir from this motor by suitable clutch and transmission gear mechanism for operation of` the digging wheel which is shown generally at 4 as equipped with suitable digging buckets 5.

The base frame I carries a superstructure frame which generally includes the side framemembers 6 and the front ends of which slope downwardly on a substantially straight line toward the motor end of the base frame I, whilst the rear ends of the side frame members Ii are curved upon an arc and terminate at theirV downward rearward ends at the rear end portions ofthe base frame I, at which point they' may be attached` by any securing means. y

It will be understood that in the type of machine of my invention,` as previously indicated, the digging wheel 4 is adapted to be raised to an upward limit of movement wherein it is out of action, or disengaged fromrthe earth; or, said wheel may be lowered to the operating position generally as shown in Figure 1, at'which time, upon its rotation, it will perform the desired excavating action to producea ditch or trench, the bottom of which may be square or curved dependent uponthe form of the digging buckets supplied.

The digging wheel li is rotatably supported to travel around rollers 'I which are carried by the frame members of the `digging wheelsupporting frame, saidmembers being generally designated at 8, 9, and I0, and they may be of .conventional construction so far as the present invention is concerned. In these machines in the type of my invention it is customary to provide a laterally extending conveyor frame II which ,leads off fromthe lexcavating wheel and delivers by suitable belt I2 the excavated materials to be `carried away from the machine at one side thereof in the well known manner. l

Y For the raising and lowering movements of the wheel frame 8, S, and I0, there are utilized suitable hoisting and lowering drums I3 and I4,

mounted` upon the frame member 6a of the main frame of the machine. These drums I3 and I4 areconnected bysuitable cables I5 and I 6, re-

f spectively, to the sheaves or pulleysIT that are mounted on brackets I8 which are attached to the curved uppermember B of the digging wheel frame. Such lowering and raising instrumentalities are conventional anddo notV form any special Vpartof my invention other thanthey. are used in conjunction with the guidingVv fea.- tures for directing the upward land `lowering movements of the wh'eel frame and wheely carried thereby.

,According Vto the construction shown in IllyA portions of the side members 6 of the main frame of the machine, and which are also connected in the manner set forth with the frame of the digging wheel which is raised and lowered for effecting corresponding movement of the wheel 4, together with the utilization of a driving unit of some kind equivalent to the differential gear unit B and driving shaft means comprising parts equivalent to the members 2l and 28, these mem bers connected with the differential gear shaft by suitable movement transmitting means, and the members 21 and 28 or their equivalent parts operating in an arc of upward and downward movement with the axis of the members 22 and 23, as the axis of said movement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to Secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a ditching machine of the digging wheel type, in combination, a portable support comprising a base frame, a main frame thereon comprising spaced side frame members extending in a general vertical direction from the base frame, a digging member disposed at one end of the base frame, a supporting frame for said member, means for raising and lowering the said supporting frame, guide means movable along the side frame members of the main frame and connected with the supporting frame for the digging member, a motor on the base frame, and driving connections between the motor and the digging member aforesaid, said guide means comprising guide shoes movable along the side frame members at the ends thereof adjacent to the digging member supporting frame and interlocked with the said side frame members, the driving connections between the motor and digging member comprising driving gears for the digging member mounted n said shoes.

2. In a ditching machine of the digging wheel type, in combination, a portable support, a motor mounted upon said portable support, a main frame for said portable support comprising spaced side members curving upon an arc adjacent to one end of the portable Support, a digging wheel at said end of the portable support, a supporting frame for the digging wheel, means for raising and lowering the said supporting frame of the digging wheel, and guide shoes connected with the digging wheel supporting frame and engaging the said curved end portions of the side members of the main frame so as to operate along the latter as track means for the said guide shoes, combined with driving members carried by the guide shoes for eiecting rotation of the digging 6 wheel, and driving means leading from the motor to the said driving members on the shoes for operating the latter. g

3. In a ditching machine oi the digging wheel type, in combination, a portable support, a frame on said support co-mprising side frame members curved on an arc adjacent to one end of the support, a digging wheel at said end oi the portable support, a digging wheel supporting frame for the digging wheel, and guide shoes on the digging wheel supporting frame interengaged with the side frame members of the said main frame for guiding the movement of the digging wheel and its supporting frame when raised and lowered, hoisting means for raising and lowering the digging wheei and digging wheel supporting frame, and driving members mounted upon the said shoes for actuating the digging wheel, said shoes being provided with means connecting the same pivotally to the digging wheel frame.

4. In a ditching machine of the digging wheel type, in combination, a portable support, a motor mounted upon said support, a main frame for said portable support comprising spaced side members curving upon an arc adjacent to one end of the portable support, a digging wheel at said end oi the portable support, a supporting frame for the digging wheel, means for raising and lowering the said supporting frame of the digging wheel, and guide shoes connected with the digging wheel supporting frame and engaging the said curved end portions of the side members of the main frame so as to operate along the latter as track means for the said guide shoes combined with driving members carried by the guide shoes for effecting rotation of the digging wheel, and driving means leading from the motor to the said driving members on the shoes for operating the latter, said driving means including a driving shaft unit on the portable support operably driven from the motor, and a driving shaft unit on the guide shoes, the arc of curvature of the side frame members forming the track means for the guide shoes being centered from the said driving shaft unit on the portable support,

u as an axis.

ERICH H. LICHTENBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Name Date Franks Dec. 30, 1924 Number 

